Diablo View Orchid Society

Carol Klonowski has been growing orchids since the 1980's when a friend in Berkeley, California, gave her a cattleya and it bloomed out with three big, dark lavender flowers and an intoxicating fragrance. She built an entire greenhouse in her backyard to accomodate the precious
plant, which only led her to buy more orchids. Then another friend gave her a gift membership to the Orchid Society of California and it's been a serious hobby and passion ever since. She can recall going to monthly meetings where orchid legends such as the late Frank Fordyce would be available to answer the many questions an eager hobbyist could ask.

Her talk on the latest developments in Paphiopedilum orchid breeding stems from a fascination not only with new species in this large genus but also improved versions of foundation species used in older crosses. Together, the two groups are producing new and exciting crosses that every orchid grower should consider adding to their collection.

This talk focuses mainly on newly discovered species and their primary hybrids.

Carol has served as Director, Vice President, and President of the Orchid Society of California for most of the past two decades and is currently an Accredited Judge with the California Sierra Nevada Judging Center, a member of the AOS Editorial Board, and a current Trustee for the American Orchid Society.

Opportunity table provided by Tim Culbertson.

If you would like to watch the talk remotely, please send a request for the Zoom link to dvosshowandtell@gmail.com before noon on Thursday, January 8! We will respond with the link.

Members of DVOS are invited to a no-host, pre-meeting dinner with our guest speaker, Carol Klonowski. We will meet for dinner at 5:00 pm on Thursday, January 8th at:

Sichuan Fortune House

41 Woodsworth Lane

Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Note that this is different from our usual pre-meeting dinner place! If you wish to attend, RSVP to panther3.ks@gmail.com by noon on Wednesday, January 7th, so we can make a reservation for the appropriate number of attendees.

We’re getting ready to reprint name tags! If you’ve lost yours or need a replacement, send a quick note to George at diablovieworchidsociety@gmail.com by Wednesday, January 7, 2026. He’ll make sure to have it ready for you at the next meeting.

Greetings, fellow orchid lovers,

Let me introduce myself. I have been an avid gardener since 1978 and have always admired orchids from afar. Only recently did I begin growing them myself—with limited success at first. Three years ago, I joined DVOS to improve my skills, and while I still consider myself a beginner, I am learning more every year and enjoying the journey.

We had a wonderful time at our Christmas party—great food, plenty of laughter, and good company. Our next major event is the Orchid Show and Sale at the California State University East Bay, Concord campus. This event is one of the highlights of our year, and we need volunteers to help make it a success. Help is needed for setup, staffing the admission table, the member sales booth, the plant hotel, judging, and various other small but important tasks. We also encourage everyone to bring a blooming plant to display. Who knows—you might even win an award!

Please consider sharing information about our meetings and events with friends, family, and neighbors who enjoy growing beautiful plants of any kind. Our dues are very reasonable, and as a 501(c)(3) organization, they are tax deductible. Your membership supports our guest speakers, the opportunity table, and our meeting venues.

Having been a member of several horse clubs—and serving on the boards of two—I’ve noticed a common pattern in all volunteer organizations. A small core group often carries most of the workload, and over time, burnout can occur. I have seen this lead to the decline of a club, and in my short time with DVOS, I am beginning to see early signs of that same fatigue. That realization prompted me to step up and help, and I hope more of you will consider doing the same. Volunteering is not only vital to the health of our club, but it’s also a wonderful mental challenge—and a great way to keep our minds young.

Wishing you all the best in 2026,

Mary Christopherson

It’s that time again. Please send in your dues for next year so we can continue to keep DVOS going. There are two easy ways to pay- electronic or good old snail mail. See the instructions below. Get those dues in so that DVOS can continue to be the society we all depend on.

Electronic submission of DVOS dues:

https://forms.gle/3FzHywMkM7o1hrSJ9

Electronic payments can be made at:

http://bit.ly/40tnpje

OR

Send a check with your contact information to:

DVOS

Attn: Maggie Woo

401 Woodbine Ln

Danville, CA 94526

Our annual Show and Sale is going to be Saturday February 7 from 10AM to 4PM. Join us. Volunteer, exhibit, judge, shop! A good time will be had by all.

MANY details will follow in seperate newsletter.

DVOS will be partnering wit OSC (Orchid Society of California) inputting together a display for the San Francisco Show this year. If you are interested in providing plants, helping set up or tear down or otherwise kibitz, contact Diane (bonddiane9@gmail.com).

Your Board of Directors

The gang's all here

Jim and his Cattleya

Dennis won a Phalaenopsis to match his shirt